1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a printing apparatus having a paper handling function such as sorter, sheet post-processing apparatus (finisher), or the like, a delivering method, a print system, and a memory medium.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, in many cases, personal computers and workstations are connected by a local area network (LAN). In association with it, a printing apparatus (printer) is also directly connected to the LAN and often used in common by a plurality of host computers and a plurality of users in an office.
Under such an environment, print information transmitted to the printer used in common by the users is temporarily stored into the printer (spooler) and a printing process can be performed even while print information is being received from another host computer and user.
At this time, the user can define an individual paper handling function (sorter, finisher) with respect to each print information. As a paper handling function, a collation, a mail box, a group sort, and the like can be supported. The xe2x80x9ccollationxe2x80x9d is a function for aligning pages every copy and outputting them when a plurality of copy pages are printed. The xe2x80x9cmail boxxe2x80x9d is a function to allocate a specific delivery tray (bin) to an arbitrary dedicated user/group. The xe2x80x9cgroup sortxe2x80x9d is a function to output the copies of one page (as many as a plurality of copy pages) to each delivery tray (bin) when a plurality of copy pages are printed.
In the conventional printer, however, it is necessary to make the delivery tray as a paper handling function held by each print information (job) and delivery trays which physically exist correspond in a one-to-one relational manner.
If the virtual delivery tray held by each print information does not physically exist, a delivery tray on the delivery destination side has to depend on an error process of the printer. As mentioned above, hitherto, there is a problem such that the delivery tray cannot be designated when the delivery tray designated by the job does not physically exist.
The invention, therefore, is made to solve the above problems and it is an object of the invention to provide a printing apparatus, a delivering method, a print system, and a memory medium, in which even if print information designates a delivery tray (bin) which does not physically exist, the user can be allowed to perform a process for making the designated delivery tray (bin) correspond to a delivery tray (bin) which actually exists.
Another object of the invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a delivering method, a print system, and a memory medium, in which by allowing delivery trays as a paper handling function to be seen as if the number of them was larger than that of the delivery trays which actually exist, even if a job designates the delivery tray which does not physically exist, the occurrence of an error can be prevented.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a delivering method, a print system, and a memory medium, in which set contents and a setting state of a present delivery tray are displayed on the side of a panel or a host computer, thereby notifying the user of the set contents of a present paper handling and where and how the papers have been set, and a deletion or a copy is enabled to be designated in response to a job stored in each delivery tray, thereby realizing more variable paper handling.
To accomplish the above objects, according to the invention, there is provided a printing apparatus for delivering a recording medium printed in accordance with received print information to a delivery tray which physically exists, comprising: print information storing means for storing the received print information; delivery tray defining means for virtually defining a delivery tray of the recording medium according to the stored print information; delivery tray allocating means for allocating the virtually defined delivery tray to the physically existing delivery tray; and delivering means for delivering the printed recording medium to the allocated physically existing delivery tray.
Preferably, the printing apparatus receives the print information from a host computer and the host computer has display means for displaying the allocation of the physically existing delivery tray for the virtually defined delivery tray.
Preferably, in the printing apparatus, the display means displays a storing state of the recording medium in the virtually defined delivery tray.
Preferably, the display means displays information regarding the print information of the recording medium which has been stored in the virtually defined delivery tray.
Preferably, the host computer deletes and copies the print information for the stored print information.
Preferably, the physically existing delivery tray is a delivery tray of a paper handling function such as sorter, finisher, or the like.
According to the invention, there is provided a delivering method of delivering a recording medium printed by a printing apparatus in accordance with received print information to a delivery tray which physically exists, comprising the steps of: virtually defining a delivery tray of the recording medium according to the print information; and allocating the virtually defined delivery tray to the physically existing delivery tray.
According to the invention, there is provided a print system which has a host computer and a printing apparatus and delivers a recording medium printed by the printing apparatus in accordance with print information received from the host computer to a delivery tray which physically exists, comprising: print information storing means for storing the print information received from the host computer; delivery tray defining means for virtually defining a delivery tray of the recording medium according to the stored print information; delivery tray allocating means for allocating the virtually defined delivery tray to the physically existing delivery tray; display means for displaying an allocation of the physically existing delivery tray for the virtually defined delivery tray; and delivering means for delivering the printed recording medium to the allocated physically existing delivery tray.
According to the invention, there is provided a memory medium which is provided in a print system having a host computer and a printing apparatus and which stores a program that is executed by a CPU in the print system and allocates a delivery tray of a recording medium printed by the printing apparatus in accordance with print information received from the host computer to a delivery tray which physically exists, wherein the program comprises the steps of: virtually defining a delivery tray of the recording medium according to the print information; and allocating the virtually defined delivery tray to the physically existing delivery tray.
According to the invention, when the recording medium printed in accordance with the received print information is delivered to the physically existing delivery tray, the received print information is stored by the print information storing means, the delivery tray of the recording medium according to the stored print information is virtually defined by the delivery tray defining means, the virtually defined delivery tray is allocated to the physically existing delivery tray by the delivery tray allocating means, and the printed recording medium is delivered to the allocated physically existing delivery tray by the delivering means. Therefore, even if the print information designates the delivery tray which does not physically exist, the user can be allowed to perform the process to make such a tray correspond to the delivery tray which actually exists. Therefore, even if the job designates the delivery tray which does not actually exist, print data can be printed without causing an error.
By allowing the delivery trays as a paper handling function to be seen as if the number of delivery trays was larger than the delivery trays which actually exist, even if the job designates the delivery tray which does not physically exist, the occurrence of an error can be prevented. Therefore, by using the virtual delivery tray, the delivery trays of a small number can be virtually seen as if there were a large number of delivery trays.
According to the invention, since the print information is received from the host computer and the host computer has the display means for displaying the allocation of the physically existing delivery tray for the virtually defined delivery tray, the set contents and state of the present delivery tray are displayed on the host computer side, thereby notifying the user of the set contents of the present paper handling and where and how the paper has been set. The deletion and copy are enabled to be designated for the job stored in each delivery tray. Thus, the more variable paper handling can be realized.
As mentioned above, the contents of a bin mapping table and where and how the paper has been set are displayed on the host computer side via the network, thereby making it possible to notify the user of the state of the virtual delivery tray.
According to the invention, since the display means displays the storing state in the recording medium of the virtually defined delivery tray, effects similar to those in the foregoing printing apparatus can be obtained and the user can designate the delivery tray while visually confirming.
According to the invention, since the display means displays the information regarding the print information of the recording medium stored in the virtually defined delivery tray, the operability on the host computer by the user can be raised.
According to the invention, since the host computer deletes and copies the print information for the stored print information, the print information can be easily edited.
According to the invention, since the physically existing delivery tray is the delivery tray of the paper handling function such as sorter, finisher, or the like, it is possible to cope with various paper handling functions.
According to the invention, there is provided a memory medium which is provided in a print system having a host computer and a printing apparatus and which stores a program that is executed by a CPU in the print system and allocates a delivery tray of a recording medium printed by the printing apparatus in accordance with print information received from the host computer to a delivery tray which physically exists, wherein the program comprises the steps of: virtually defining a delivery tray of the recording medium according to the print information; and allocating the virtually defined delivery tray to the physically existing delivery tray. Therefore, the generality and expandability of the print system can be improved.